


Faking it

by kitravenclaw



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:42:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28650711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitravenclaw/pseuds/kitravenclaw
Summary: Claire agrees to pretend to be Neil's girlfriend when his family is visiting.
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Comments: 96
Kudos: 70





	1. Be my girlfriend

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I've had this idea for a while now, and I finally gotten around to write it. I also wanted to do a fanfic where Morgan and Claire are good friends, so I've tried doing that here.   
> I hope you like it, and I will try to update as soon as possible, although I've been a bit busy lately since a new semester has begun at my university.

After Claire made attending at St. Bonaventure a lot of people had placed their bets on when she and Melendez would get together. Most bets had been set to within a month, but it had been nearly five months now and nothing had happened between them. They stayed good friends though, even better than before actually, since they no longer had to hide their friendship. And they also worked exceptionally well together at the hospital. 

They both loved their friendship, and they had both come to terms with that it might be best to stay like that, only friends. They hadn’t said anything about it, but it was like a mutal understanding they had. They did enjoy the occasional flirting and teasing, without that having to lead somewhere. But lately both of them had started feeling that they wanted more, but neither knew how to express that. 

\--

Neil walked up at the side of her and handing her a large cup of coffee. She accepted it and smiled, but suddenly got suspicious. 

“You never bring me coffee, Melendez. What is it you want this time?” she asked and gave him a sly look, chuckling softly as they were walking down the hallway. 

Damn it, she knew him too well. He might as well just ask her now, and not try to sugar coat anything. “I need a favor, and it is a personal favor, nothing work related” he started and looked at her. “And if you’ll do it, I swear, I’ll owe you big time!” he added. 

Claire stopped and turned to face him “I’m not agreeing to something before you tell me what it is” she said and raised her brow. 

“Be my girlfriend” he blurted out, realizing he probably shouldn’t have phrased it that way. 

Claire choked on the sip of coffee she just took “What?!” she asked, not sure she heard right. 

“I meant to pretend to be my girlfriend” he corrected himself. “You see my family is coming over for the weekend, and well, I never told them I broke up with dr. Lim” he said, scratching his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. 

Claire laughed “Are you insane? First of all, why wouldn’t you tell them that? And second of all, I can’t possibly go for dr. Lim. We look nothing alike!” she exclaimed, still kind of amused by his suggestion. 

“I..we don’t have so much contact…and they don’t know it was dr. Lim. Only that it was someone I worked with” he tried explaining. 

“Then you could just as well ask dr. Lim then, why are you asking me?” she said with a mocking tone, grinning softly. 

He sighed and shook his head. “It’d just be weird with Lim, besides, you’re the one that knows me best around here” he said. “Please, Claire. I’m desperate” he added and pouted childishly. 

Claire chuckled, flattered by the fact he considered her such a close friends. “Why is it so bad to show up there, single? Or is that term not in your vocabulary?” she said teasingly. 

He rolled his eyes playfully. “My family likes to meddle in my personal life, especially when it comes to girlfriends and things like that. And if I tell them I ruined another relationship they are gonna get so disappointed..” he said with a stern look. “And I know I have to tell them eventually, but they have all gotten a lot of bad news this past year, and I don’t want to be another one…” he explained.

Claire seemed to debate it in her head for a moment. “Alright, I’ll do it on the condition, you bring me coffee every day, and you owe me a favor for later” she said and grinned. 

He rolled his eyes and chuckled “fine, it’s a deal” he said and stuck out his hand.

She smiled and shook his hand. “Alright, then I’m all yours for the weekend, honey” she said and winked at him, before she hurried along to see her next patient. 

\--

Claire met Morgan at lunch and they sat down at a table together. Truth was that the two of them had become really close friends after they both made attending. 

“So, Melendez asked me to be his girlfriend today” Claire said and looked at Morgan to see her expression. 

Morgan almost spit out the salad she was eating. “He did what?!” she exclaimed, loud enough to make a few heads turn in their direction. 

Claire laughed softly “well not exactly, I’m to pretend to be his girlfriend, while his family is in town” she explained. 

Morgan pouted and crossed her arms “you can’t just open like that! You get my melendaire-hopes up for no reason” she said annoyed. Truth is, she was truly the captain of the melendaire ship now that she knew that it wasn’t at all a case of favoritism. 

“Stop calling us that” Claire laughed and shook her head. 

“So you are to pretend to be his girlfriend, is that what you are saying?” Morgan asked, and Claire nodded in response. 

“You know that is never going to end well? I’ve seen enough movies with that plot to know you’re gonna end up kissing him, sharing a bed with him, or even having sex with him” Morgan said with her know-it-all voice. 

“What? I’m not going to end up having sex with him, Morgan!” she said in a hushed tone. “It is only for this weekend, and I only have to appear at a family dinner and then a lunch the next day” she said. 

“Oh a lot can happen in that time, Claire. Just promise me I get to be maid of honor at your wedding” Morgan said and grinned. 

“Morgan!” Claire said with a warning tone. 

“Fine fine, I have to go find Alex any way, we have to place new bets on when you get together, I say during the weekend!” Morgan said before she stood up.

“Stop betting on my love life, Morgan!” Claire said a bit annoyed as Morgan hurried away to find Alex. She just heard her laugh as she walked down the hallway. Claire sat back in her chair and sighed.


	2. Family dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't actually know a thing about Neil's family, so this was just made up. I don't know if he has a relationship to them or if they even are alive. But for the sake of my story, this is how it goes. Hope you like it!

Claire arrived early on Friday night, so they’d have time to go over some of the details for their scheme to work. She knocked on his door, wearing a casual but nice deep green colored dress that matched her eyes. Her hair was down and she’d put on a bit of makeup, but not too much. 

Neil opened the door, and smiled, daring to eye her up and down once to take in the sight of how beautiful she was. “You look nice” he smirked and stepped aside so she could come inside. 

“Well you told me to wear a dress, I figured I might try to impress your family then” she chuckled. 

“Well my family have not liked any of my previous girlfriends, so good luck with that” he said and smiled. It was in fact true, his parents specifically had hated Jessica and most previous girlfriends also. 

Claire crossed her arms “Well that’s not at all helpful, Melendez. You didn’t have to make me nervous too!” she sighed, but she was ready to take on the challenge.

He smirked and stepped closer. “You do realize that you have to call me Neil now, seeing as you are my girlfriend…” he said with a soft, raspy voice, leaning against the doorframe to the living room, looking at her. 

It was so weird hearing him call her that, but she reminded herself that it was only pretend. She never really used his first name, only on special occasions. “I think ‘honey’ will do” she said playfully “or ‘babe’ or ‘sweetheart’ or whatever you prefer” she said teasingly and smirked. 

He scoffed “ugh, that is so cliché, Claire” he scrunched his nose. 

She just laughed in response “so who’s coming tonight, you never told me that” she asked curiously.

“Both my parents and my nana” he said smiling softly. He rarely saw them, it had been over a year since last time. “I must warn you though. They can be very intense, and very nosy. So just be prepared for a lot of questions, personals ones too” he said chuckling. 

“You’re telling me this now? Goodness, I never should have agreed to this” she laughed. 

They sat down on the couch to discuss things further and after a while he looked at her and asked “are you going to tell me why Reznik, Park and basically all the nurses are placing bets on something called ‘melendaire’?” he asked, smirking as he saw her cheeks turn red. 

“You know about that?” Claire said embarrassed, trying to hide her blush. 

“Mhm” he hummed and grinned. “I didn’t realize people had a name for us…” he said softly. 

“I uh.. yes well they do. I kind of told Morgan about this… me pretending to be your girlfriend..and then they started placing bets” she said, afraid he would get mad at her. 

Neil sighed and laughed “placing bets for what exactly?” he pressed, seeing she was trying to avoid the subject. 

Claire bit her lip hard “they have a bet going on whether we’d sleep together or not during this weekend.” 

Neil raised his brows, amused at the sight of Claire so flustered. “Oh wow, that’s oddly specific…” he chuckled “we’ll just have to wait and see then..” he whispered and smirked. 

Claire’s eyes widened at his last statement, she’d thought he get offended or mad about it but that was certainly not the case. Then before she got to reply the doorbell rung and he grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers as they walked to great their guests. 

“Hi everyone, this is Claire” Neil proceeded to say after they’d all introduced themselves to Claire. “So lovely to meet you all” Claire replied.

They were halfway through dinner and as Neil had predicted it was a lot of questions. Mostly about her, but it suddenly started to get more personal and intimate.   
It was his mother that first asked “So Claire, I see no ring on your finger. Is our Neil not good enough for marriage, you have been together for over a year now, yes?” she asked, and even though it sounded a bit harsh, Claire knew she only meant well. 

Neil almost choked on his drink “mother!” he started but Claire interrupted him. “I assure you, he is more than good enough” she said and looked at him lovingly and put his hand on his “but I’m afraid he hasn’t gotten around to ask yet… you know men, always so busy” she said with a soft chuckle. 

His mother gave him such a stern look that made Neil sink back in his chair “ai, Neil! You know better than that! You cannot leave your girl waiting like this, marriage is important in the relationship” she explained further, clearly not happy with her son. And Claire couldn’t be more amused, she was definitely use this against him for all it’s worth. 

“It is no harm in waiting a few years, mom” he tried defending himself. 

“We want grandchildren, son. We are getting old” her mother said, her tone softer now. 

It was Claire’s turn to almost choke on her drink.

“We don’t have to be married to have children, mom” he said, but soon realized his mistake. 

“Ai, but then what are you waiting for? Tell me Claire, is he good to you in bed?” It was his Nana now who spoke, and they both were taken by surprise. Neil was about to stop her, but Claire didn’t let the opportunity slip. 

“You know, he is quite excellent in fact…” she looked at Neil and winked “but you know woman to woman” she leaned in over the table to whisper to his Nana “he is a bit selfish you know, he doesn’t know a lot about women’s pleasure..” Claire said, fully intending to embarrass Neil as much as possible, so she said it loud enough for him to hear. She met his gaze and she could see his eyes darken.

“ai, son” his Nana shook her head “you know how important the female orgasm is? Clearly you have some learning to do, Neil. Claire deserves more of you than that.” Nana said, slightly unhappy. 

Claire had to bite her lip hard not to laugh when she saw how uncomfortable he was. He nudged her with his foot under the table, and she knew she would hear this after, but it was definitely worth it. 

“Nana, please. I don’t need a lesson right now, we are eating.” He said, trying to hide his blush. Oh the game was definitely on now, he knew what game she was playing. He placed his hand on her thigh and slowly slid it a few inches upward, until he could feel her tense up. Claire bit her lip hard at the feeling, fighting the urge to push his hand off her thigh.


	3. Morgan was right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another update for you! Hope you like it.

After they finished the dinner, Neil and Claire was left alone in the kitchen, cleaning up. As soon as his family moved to the living room, he gave Claire an annoyed glare. 

“I can’t believe you just did that” he said and approached her. 

Claire was grinning mischievously and stepped backwards as he approached, but hit the wall behind her. “What? I’m just trying to impress your family” she said and chuckled. 

“By embarrassing me?!” he said annoyed when she just giggled in response. 

“Well it was a bit funny, don’t you think?” she teased, her eyes gleaming with mischief. 

“Oh, two can play that game, Claire.” He warned, smirking softly as he started on the dishes. 

Claire just rolled her eyes and helped him with the dishes. After they finished they joined the others in the living room, where they took up the conversation again.   
“Hey Nana” Neil said and smiled, getting her attention “you know, Claire here was a bit shy to ask, but seeing as you’ve had seven children, Claire wanted to ask you for some tips” Neil said, he had calculated that move very wisely, because he knew his Nana could go on and on about these things. 

Claire turned and gave Neil what he figured would be her death stare. But fair was fair he thought to himself. He just grinned at her, letting her know this was definitely payback.

His nana lit up and gladly accepted the request, she grabbed Claire’s arm and they walked back into the kitchen to talk, so they could have ‘woman privacy’ as his nana had phrased it.   
\--  
It had taken almost an hour before Claire and his Nana strode back into the living room, mostly because it was getting late, because it seemed like his Nana could go on forever. But Claire was glad it finally had ended. Neil just laughed when he saw her tired face. 

“Did you get some good tips, honey?” he asked mockingly. 

Claire mostly wanted to flip him off, but she couldn’t do that in front of his family, so she just smiled and nodded. “Yeah, well it’s getting late, so I should probably go home now” she said.

“Oh don’t leave on our account, Claire. I’m sure Neil would like it if you stayed” his mother said, clearly thinking Claire was just being shy. 

Claire’s eyes widened slightly, she was definitely not planning on staying the night here. She looked to Neil for help, but he just winked at her. “I…uh, well that’s fine, I guess” she said, sighing softly. 

\--

Neil then grabbed her hand and led her upstairs to his bedroom, after he had helped his family get settled in the guest rooms. Claire looked around his room for a second, it was quite big, simple but elegant. It had a connecting bathroom and his bed was huge. She stopped in the doorway, refusing to go inside. 

“Oh, come on, Claire. Are you gonna stay mad at me for long?” he laughed and looked at her. 

“I never agreed to stay the night” she pointed out and crossed her arms, but finally stepped inside and closed the door. 

“I’d offer you my guest room, but that is unfortunately occupied. And I think they’d wonder a bit if you slept on the couch. “ he laughed softly. “I can offer you my tub though” he grinned. 

“I’m not sleeping in your tub, Neil” she said annoyed. First time she’d used his first name in a while. 

He smiled widely at the sound of his name, and how incredibly hot she was when she was mad at him. “What did my Nana tell you?” he said curiously and chuckled. 

Claire raised her brow at him “Goodness I thought that conversation would never end!” she said and laughed, finally loosening up a bit. “Do you really wanna know what she told me?” she chuckled. 

He nodded and smiled. “I know she’s quite intense, but you were gone for almost an hour, please tell me” he said and sat down on the edge of his bed. 

“Well, since we obviously have ‘failed at making a baby’, she thought that that was the main problem…” Claire started “so she went on an on about the best sex positions to conceive a baby, and then all kinds of teas and things I have to eat to become ‘more fertile’ or something” Claire explained, slightly embarrassed.

Neil on the other hand was laughing so hard he almost fell of the bed. 

“And then she told me how to deal with you” she added, annoyed that he thought her agony to be so funny.   
He stopped and looked at her. “She did what now?” 

Claire crossed her arms and nodded “just tips to handle a man in bed, I think that is how she phrased it” she smirked at his expression. 

“and what exactly where those tips?” he asked, suddenly a bit nervous. 

“I’m not telling you that” Claire laughed and grinned. 

“Claire!” he hissed and looked at her. 

She sighed softly and looked at him, then the bed. “Are you seriously meaning that I’m gonna sleep here with you?” she asked, changing the subject. 

He smiled softly and nodded “there’s plenty enough room for the both of us” he said. 

“I didn’t even bring anything to sleep in. I just have this dress I’m wearing” she complained. 

“You can borrow my t-shirt, ooor… you could sleep without. I wouldn’t mind” he said, knowing the last bit was probably taking it too far. 

Claire rolled her eyes playfully. “just give me your t-shirt, and help me unzip this dress” she said. 

He smirked and went over to his closet and pulled out a clean cotton t-shirt for her to wear, then he strode over to her. He brushed her wild curls over her shoulder to reveal the zipper on her back. He took a deep breath, he’d definitely imagined undressing Claire before, but he tried his best to keep his cool. He slowly slid the zipper all the way down. “There you go” he said huskily. 

She felt his breath on her skin and it made her shiver slightly. “Thanks” she whispered and grabbed the t-shirt before she headed to the bathroom to change. 

When she walked back out, she saw Neil standing by the bed in nothing but his boxers. Her breath hitched a bit “jesus!” she exclaimed, not intending to say it out loud. She looked him over, trying not to stare at his hard muscles and tanned body. 

He laughed softly “I’m keeping the boxers on for your sake” he added with a smirk. He dared to steal a glance at her, standing there in only panties and his t-shirt. 

She walked over to the other side of his bed and glared at him. “Goodness, aren’t you freezing?” she asked looking at him. 

“No, but I see you are” he grinned cheekily and glanced at her hardened nipples that were clearly visible through the shirt. He found it incredibly hot, and had to fight hard not to get too turned on by it. 

Claire’s eyes darkened at his comment and she chucked a pillow at him “God, I hate you!” she said annoyed.

“Just keep your hands to yourself, and we’ll be find” he said and winked.

“Oh, please! You couldn’t handle it” she stated and raised a brow.

He grinned at her comment “perhaps you’re the one who couldn’t handle it…” he said, clicking his tongue at the last letter. 

His voice was low and seductive and Claire felt herself getting turned on, but tried to think about something else. She rolled her eyes and quickly slipped under the covers. 

Neil did the same and turned the lights off. Claire was lying as far out on the edge as possible, mostly to keep herself from getting tempted to do something she would regret. 

“Come, on Claire. I can feel you shivering. Just lay closer to me, so you’ll get warmer.” He said, laughing softly. 

Claire grumbled slightly, but after a while she scooted over, closer to him, which made him smile. She silently damned Morgan for being right in her prediction. She was now sharing his bed.


	4. Morning shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the feedback, it really inspires me to write more, so here is an update for you guys. Hope you like it.

Claire was the first to awake the next morning. She had to blink a few times to realize where she was, but quickly realized when she felt the arm around her waist. Neil was still sleeping soundly, but during the night they’d somehow ended up spooning. His arm was slung loosely across her waist, where her shirt had slid a few inches up, and their feet were tangled together. He was snoring ever so softly and she could feel each breath against her neck. She panicked a little bit first, but then discovered how comfortable it was, and how right it felt. 

She carefully slid out from his grip, without waking him up, and headed for his bathroom, she figured she could use a shower. She turned on the water and carefully slipped out of the t-shirt and panties she was wearing, stepping into the warm water. She sighed softly, letting the water run down her skin and through her hair.   
Neil awoke shortly after and instinctively reached out to pull her closer, but to his surprise she wasn’t there, but the mattress was still warm and he could hear the shower running, so he figured she was just taking a shower. He slipped on his pajama bottoms and headed over. 

Claire shrieked when he walked in, quickly trying to cover herself as best she could, but luckily the steam had fogged up the glass doors, so he couldn’t really see anything. “Neil!” she exclaimed as he walked in. 

“Oh good, you’re still here” he smirked as he glanced at her, a bit bummed out he wasn’t able to see much. “I was afraid it was just another dream” he said teasingly.

“Another dream? What is that supposed to mean? Do you often have dreams of me in your bed?” she asked, still covering herself. 

“Oh, more often than you think” he said teasingly and picked up his toothbrush. 

Claire’s eyes widened, but she knew he must be teasing her. “Neil, come on. I’m literally naked here, would you please give me some privacy?” she asked, pleadingly. 

He grinned, turning to hopefully catch a glimpse of her, but didn’t. “Nothing I haven’t seen before” he flirted. 

Claire grumbled “Oh just hand me a towel, so I can come out and kick your ass” she said annoyed.

He laughed, but slung a towel over the shower wall for her. She turned off the water, and quickly wrapped the towel around herself, and stepped out of the shower. 

She took a moment to look at him. He was barefoot, shirtless, in nothing but his pajama pants. His hair was ruffled from sleeping, and his toothbrush was sticking out from the big grin he had on his face. That was probably the hottest thing Claire had ever seen, and she had to bite her lip hard to snap out of her daze. 

“Now you bothered to put on pajama pants!? But not last night before we shared a bed?” she glared at him a crossed her arms. 

His eyes were gleaming with mischief and he looked her up and down, standing in only her towel. He didn’t bother answer her question. “Goood morning, sweetheart. Did you have a good night’s sleep?” he asked in a mocking tone, smirking at her. 

Truth was, she hadn’t slept so good in ages, but she was never going to admit that. “Out!” she pointed at the door, not amused by his shenanigans. When he just grinned at her, she grabbed his arm and shoved him out, being sure to lock the door this time. “But, Claire! I didn’t even finish brushing my teeth” he whined as she shoved him out the door. 

“Oh shut it” Claire laughed softly and started drying herself so she could get dressed. 

“Oh, and Claire?” he leaned against the door, talking through it. “You know you are incredibly adorable when you’re mad at me” he said teasingly. 

Claire rolled her eyes, she didn’t knew what had gotten into him. He definitely loved teasing her, but this was on a whole other level. She had to admit, she enjoyed it. Quite a lot in fact, but she wondered if it was only this pretend thing, or if he was actually genuine. 

She walked back out, fully dressed in the dress from yesterday. He was lying on his bed, his arms tucked behind his head for support as he watched her walk out.   
She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him. “I have to run home to get some clean clothes before lunch today if that’s alright.” Claire said as she put her hair up in a bun. 

“Sure thing, need a ride?” Neil asked, seemingly back to normal. 

“No, I’m fine. I could use a break from all of this” she teased, gesturing to him. 

He sat up and looked at her “Is my sexiness too much for you to handle?” he whispered seductively and leaned closer. 

“No, you ego. You’re just annoying” she laughed and pushed him away. 

He huffed, pretending to get offended by that. She smirked and leaned in closer, pressing her lips to his cheek. “See you later, baby” she whispered as she pulled away and winked at him. Then she got up and walked outside and drove back to her apartment. 

Neil sighed deeply as she just left him there, turned on and desperate. He cursed himself for letting his guard slip so low, and at how her last comment had left him with a boner. He quickly hopped in the shower, turning the temperature on the lowest it could go, to hopefully get his mind over on something else. 

\--

After Claire had been home to change, she agreed to meet Morgan for a coffee at a little café down the road. 

“So tell me everything!” Morgan said as they sat down with their coffees. 

Claire sighed “ugh, it’s fine. I mean his family is great, though they do ask a lot of personal questions.” She started. “but I mean, the level of teasing me and Melendez have going on right now, is so intense! And I don’t even know if it’s real or if it is just part of our pretending-scheme” Claire admitted. “I mean last night, and this morning…” she started but Morgan interrupted. 

Morgan widened her eyes. “Wait a minute, are you saying you stayed the night?! Did you sleep with him?” Morgan asked excitedly. 

Claire bit her lip hard. “No Morgan, I didn’t sleep with him. But yes, we did share a bed last night” she admitted. 

Morgan gasped “Oh, come on. Something must have happened!” 

“No not really, I mean, I woke up with his arm around me, and then later he walked in on me in the shower. But nothing more than that” she explained. 

“Oh, come on. It’s clear as day. He definitely wants to bone you!” Morgan said happily. 

“Morgan!” Claire hissed to make her lower her voice. 

“Claire, just admit it. I know you’ve been thinking about shagging him too” Morgan pointed out. 

“Who hasn’t?” Claire said defensively. “Alright, fine. I have” she admitted at last when she saw Morgan’s look. 

“Then what are you waiting for?” Morgan asked, grinning.


	5. Nana knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter, but I thought it turned out kind of cute,so I hope you like it too!

Claire met Neil and his family at the restaurant they had planned for lunch. She smiled and waved when she saw them, taking a seat beside Neil. 

“Hello, honey” Neil smiled and again placed his hand on her thigh, smirking softly. She was wearing a short summer dress, so his hand was partly touching her bare skin, which made her breathe a little faster. 

They ordered lunch and enjoyed their meal in the warm sunshine. To Claire’s relief there wasn’t any more of the personal questions. When they finished, his nana pulled out an old fashioned camera from her purse. It was a polaroid, that would print out the picture instantly. 

“Let me take a picture of the lovely couple. I will hang it on my fridge when I get home” his nana said. 

Claire was a bit surprised, but she leaned closer to Neil and smiled as she snapped a picture. 

“lovely! And then one where you kiss her, Neil” his nana said and looked at the both of them. 

Claire’s heart skipped a beat “I.. uhm, perhaps not..” she started and expected Neil to protest as well, but to her surprise, he didn’t. 

“Come on, Claire. Don’t be shy” he said, smirking. And before she could protest any more, he cupped her cheeks and pulled her closer, his lips pressing against hers. Neil held the kiss, moving his lips softly against hers. And at the instant she heard the snap of the camera, Claire pulled away. Her cheeks were soft pink, and she stared at Neil, partly because she was shocked, partly because she wanted more. Neil was just grinning. 

When they finished their meal, they got up to head back to Neil’s apartment, but his nana stayed behind to talk to Claire for a second. Claire was curious about what she wanted to talk about, hoping it wasn’t anything like their conversation yesterday. 

His nana handed her the polaroid picture of them kissing. “I wanted you to have this, Claire.” She said. 

Claire stared at the picture “I thought you were going to hang this on your fridge” Claire said curiously. 

“Yes, well I have the other one. Besides I think you need that more than I do” nana said.

Claire was confused “I’m not sure I follow…” she started. 

She just smiled “I think you do. And I’m confident you will make the right choice, just be sure to do it soon, so it’s not too late” nana said and brushed a few curls away from Claire’s face. 

The thoughts were racing through her head, did she know about their scheme? Had Neil told her? 

She could see the panic in Claire’s face and chuckled. “You don’t have to say anything, dear. Let’s go join the others shall we?” nana asked, and they left the restaurant to catch up with the rest of them. 

\--

Neil was in the kitchen when his nana approached. “Hey nana, did it go alright with Claire?” he asked and smiled. 

She nodded “Yes, I just gave her a gift. I have one for you too” she smiled. She made sure the rest of them were out of sight. 

“Really? That’s not necessary” he chuckled. 

She walked closer and pulled up a small square box from her purse, she held it out for him to take. “this is the ring your grandfather proposed to me with” she smiled proudly. “I want you to give this to Claire when she’s ready” she continued. 

Neil was speechless, utterly shocked. “Nana, no… I can’t accept this” he said, his voice shivering. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind. 

She placed the box in his hand anyways. “Yes you can” she said. 

“But you don’t understand…” he started.

“Oh, I’m not stupid Neil. I see right through this scheme of yours” she said gesturing to him and Claire. 

Neil felt the panic rising, how had she realized? “But why?” he looked down at the ring in his hand. 

“Because I’ve never seen you so in love with someone before, Neil” she smiled. “It is clear as day, the way you two look at each other. You are clearly in love with each other” she said. 

Neil was stunned, was it so visible? “But I…” 

“No buts, Neil. Only thing I don’t understand is why you haven’t made a move yet. You don’t have all the time in the world… she’s young and beautiful, she’s not going to wait for you forever Neil” she said softly, before she returned to the living room where the others were at, leaving Neil in a state of shock in the kitchen. 

Claire came looking for him when he didn’t show up. He quickly showed the ring in one of the kitchen drawers as he heard her approach. Claire smiled softly. “There you are, you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost” Claire laughed and walked over to him. 

“I, what? No I’m fine” he assured, but his voice cracked a little. 

Claire chuckled “was I that bad of a kisser?” she asked teasingly and smiled. 

His shocked expression broke into a grin “What? No! You were great” he smirked “Are you back for more?” he winked.

Claire chuckled “oh, you wish!” she replied. Truth was, she desperately wanted to kiss him again, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that. She turned around to head back to the living room, but he grabbed her hand to stop her. 

“I know I have no right to ask you this, but will you please stay another night? My family is leaving first thing in the morning, and I’d like it if you stayed” he said softly. “I swear I’ll behave” he added

Claire smiled and moved closer again and smirked. “Mhm…but what’s in it for me?” she whispered, placing one hand on his chest. 

He grinned “I’ll kiss you again since you liked the last one so much” he suggested, his eyes darted from her eyes to her lips.

She laughed “I never said that!” she exclaimed. “but fine, I’ll do it, if you buy me a drink tomorrow night” she added and bit her lip. 

He smirked “alright, that’s a deal”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading? I really love your feedback, so please tell me what you think, and if you have any ideas for what could happen next. I'm a bit out of ideas at the moment, and I could use some inspiration. Thanks!


	6. Movie night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback, special thanks to the ones who gave me some ideas for the plot. I used some inspiration in this chapter and some I will use in the next chapter :)

They spent the evening playing some board games and drinking wine with his family. It was so lovely and for a moment Claire completely forgot that this all was a scheme. She truly felt like she belonged there. 

After the rest of his family had gone to bed, Neil and Claire stayed up a bit longer. Claire noticed he’d almost finished an entire bottle of wine for himself, and he was getting just the slightest bit tipsy. His mind kept going back to the engagement ring his nana had given him, that still lay in his kitchen drawer.

“You know, your family is great. Why don’t you see them more often?” Claire asked and poured herself another glass of wine. 

He leaned back and sighed “Well we live far apart, and I usually work a lot. And every time we meet up there is always a conflict of some sort” he explained. “Weirdly enough, not this time. I think perhaps it’s because you are here” he smiled softly.

She smiled in return “I do have that tendency I guess” she giggled.

He grinned “do you want to watch a movie, perhaps? Or are you tired” he asked softly, hoping she’d say yes. 

“No, I’m not tired! I’d love to watch a movie, what do you have in mind?” she smiled, taking another sip of her wine.

“Just not any romantic comedies and we’re good” he said and chuckled, leaning back against the couch. 

“What do you have against romantic comedies Neil? I thought you were a romantic” Claire laughed. 

He smirked “oh, believe me. I’m romantic. But the movies though, you can always predict the plot, it makes it boring” he pointed out. 

She smiled “alright, fair point. What about a marvel movie?” Claire asked 

“I didn’t know you were such a geek, Claire…but alright, which one?” he said and grabbed the wine bottle to refill his glass, again. 

Claire snatched the bottle out of his hand “don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Claire teased, seeing as he was beginning to slur his words. 

“Hey! Not fair. Give it back” he pouted and reached out his hand

Claire’s eyes gleamed “make me” she purred and put the bottle behind her back. Claire knew she was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol herself, because she would never have said that if she was completely sober. 

She could see his eyes darken a bit. They were sitting in each end of his couch so they still had some distance between them. He moved closer “are you ticklish Claire?” he whispered and smirked. 

“Oh, don’t you dare!” Claire exclaimed. She tried to squirm away but he quickly had her pinned down on the couch, hovering above her, his hand threatened to tickle her. 

“No no no, please!” she squealed “you can have it back, I swear!” she set the bottle back down and looked at him, biting her lip. 

He kept her pinned down for a moment, looking at her, before he let her go and grabbed the bottle. “That’s a good girl” he purred and winked, pouring himself another glass, filling up hers as well. “Now, the movie. Which one?” he asked, turning on the TV.

She took a deep breath and sat back up. “Uhm, Iron Man” she said finally and smiled. 

He nodded and found it and pressed play. Claire moved closer to him so he could lay his arm around her shoulder. He smiled at the closeness. It felt so good having her in his arms. 

While watching they slowly got more tipsy. “You know, you remind me a bit of Tony Stark” she said, gesturing to the movie. 

“How come? Because of how sexy we both are?” he asked teasingly. 

Claire laughed. “No, because of how big your ego is…and you just proved my point” she grinned. 

He rolled his eyes playfully and pulled her tighter, his hand rubbing soft circles on her upper arm. 

“I think I’m going to head to bed now” Claire said and yawned, not having the energy to stay up to finish the movie.   
Neil nodded “alright, I’ll join” 

She smiled and then headed upstairs, being sure to change into her pajama she remembered to bring this time, before he came a few minutes later. 

He made a grimace when he saw her in a pajama. “That’s no fun” he whined playfully. 

“Oh shut up” she laughed and lay down under the covers. 

Neil removed his shirt first, and then started unbuckling his pants, he noticed that Claire glanced at him. “Enjoying the show?” he teased, not at all embarrassed to show off his body. 

Claire grinned “no, just staring at your hideous tattoo” she lied, looking at the stag on his chest. 

He kicked off his pants and lay down beside her, leaving only his boxer on, like last night. “So are you sure you’re not going to tell me how you were supposed to ‘handle me’?” he asked, referring to their conversation last night, where his nana had given Claire tips on how to handle him. 

Claire chuckled and turned to face him. “Not everything no, might be useful in the future, you know” she teased. “but she might have mentioned something about bondage” she winked at him. 

He raised his brow “she did what now?” he laughed and bit his lip at the thought. 

She rolled back over, her back facing against him “Goodnight, Neil” she said, turning the lights off. 

He murmured something she couldn’t hear, but didn’t mind asking. He didn’t protest and soon settled beside her. It took only a few minutes before his arms reached around her waist, pulling her against him.

She smiled softly “I thought we agreed to keep out hands to ourselves” she whispered teasingly. 

She could feel his breath on her neck which gave her goosebumps. “I assure you, then you’re missing out. I’m quite good with my hands” he murmured seductively against her skin. Then he pressed soft kisses on her neck and shoulder. 

She started breathing faster, feeling herself getting turned on. “Neil” she breathed hard and bit her lip. 

“Tell me to stop and I will” he whispered and nibbled at her earlobe. And if Claire had been sober she probably tell him to stop, but against her better judgement she didn’t.

He slipped his hand under her shirt, his hand roaming over her bare skin, slowly moving up to her bear breasts. He gently massaged one, while sucking on her neck.   
Claire gasped softly at the touch of his warm hands. Then his other hand slid down under her pajama pants and in between her legs. He rubbed her through her panties, feeling how wet she was. Claire moaned loudly and bit her lip, a bit embarrassed. 

He smirked “that’s a sound I could get used to” he whispered. 

“Neil, wait” she started “please, I want to us to be sober when we do this” she said, biting her lip hard, afraid she’d disappoint him. She was terrified he’d wake up and find out he regretted it. 

Neil pulled away his hands, letting her sit up. He silently cursed himself for starting this when she wasn’t ready. He smiled softly “alright, that’s fine” he replied.   
“I’m so sorry, I…” she started but he interrupted. 

“Don’t apologize, Claire. It’s fine” he assured her. “Just sleep, it’s alright.”

Claire nodded and lay back down. “Just hold me, please” she whispered and he obliged, wrapping his arms around her again, and they shortly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all comments, so feel free to let me know what you think :)


	7. The morning after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I have been a bit busy with uni-work this week. Anyways hope you like this chapter, thanks for inspiration for the plot!

When Neil woke up, Claire was already gone. He sat up, but groaned at the headache he had. He looked at the time and cursed when he saw how late it was. His family had already left for the airport, but they said their goodbyes yesterday so it should be fine. He pulled on his pajama pants and headed downstairs where he found Claire in the kitchen. At the time he didn’t really remember what had happened after they put on the movie. 

Claire had woken up and figured she would try making some breakfast for the both of them. So she was in the middle of making scrambled eggs when Neil walked downstairs and into the kitchen. 

“Morning” she smiled when she saw him come in shirtless and in his pajama bottoms. His hair ruffled, and he squinted because of the bright light. 

He groaned softly and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Are you making me breakfast?” he smiled softly. 

Claire chuckled “trying to, I’ve never really been good at cooking” she admitted.

His eyes adjusted to the light and he noticed that she had put on clean clothes and done her makeup. He then looked to her neck where he noticed a bruise – not realizing it was a hickey just yet. “What happened to your neck?” he asked and moved closer. 

Claire stopped and looked at him, grinning at the fact that he didn’t remember, he must be more hungover than she thought. “You happened to my neck, Neil” she said simply and turned her focus back to the eggs she was making. 

Panic hit Neil. “I.. what?!” He desperately tried to remember. 

“In your bed last night, remember?” she laughed softly

He ran his hands through his hair, his eyes wide. “I, but we didn’t…?” he really hoped something hadn’t happened… that he’d taken advantage of her, done something she didn’t want to do.

Claire smiled “we didn’t have sex, if that’s what your asking” she assured him, seeing the panic in his eyes. 

He sighed almost in relief. “Then what happened? Did I… did I push you to do something you didn’t want to?” he swallowed hard, feeling so bad. 

She moved closer and placed her hand on top of his “Relax Neil, I was a bit tipsy myself, but you didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to do” she smiled softly. 

“Just tell me what I did, please” he said, he started remembering bits and pieces, but not everything. 

Claire blushed slightly “well this obviously” she said and pointed to her hickey, “and then, well you… uhm… touched me” she said and bit her lip. 

He raised his eyebrows and a few flashes hit him, remembering how his hands had roamed her body and then that she had told him she wanted to do this when they were sober. 

“I’m so sorry, Claire, I would never…” he started, feeling the need to apologize.

She grabbed both his hands. “Don’t be sorry Neil. I know you wouldn’t ever do anything to harm me, not even as drunk as you were last night” she smiled.   
He finally cracked a soft smile “are you sure?” he asked and she nodded, 

They shared the breakfast, and for once Claire had managed to not burn the eggs, and they actually tasted decent. Neil offered to help with the dishes, thinking that’s the least he could do. They got back into their playful mood, and Neil was glad she hadn’t just run off after last nights happenings. 

“You wash, I’ll dry” she said as they were loading the dirty dishes into the sink. He agreed and filled the sink with water, starting to clean. 

“Perhaps next time, don’t drink so much wine” she teased and smiled at him. 

“pfft, I can handle my liquor” he said, not wanting his pride hurt

“obviously not last night though” she laughed. 

He rolled his eyes and then splashed a good amount of water on her, he grinned amused. 

She gasped “Neil! You’re getting me wet!” she exclaimed and looked down at her shirt. 

He cocked his head at the way she phrased that “Really? It’s my good looks isn’t it?” he said teasingly and winked. 

Claire hit his arm playfully “oh not like that, you idiot!” she blushed and sighed when she realized she had to change shirts now. 

“you could just take it off, I’ll help” he offered and grinned. 

She rolled her eyes “not gonna happen” she warned him and chuckled. 

He leaned closer “oh, but I seem to remember you saying ‘when we do this’ not ‘if’ or simply ‘never’” he pointed out, grinning softly. 

He had her pinned against the kitchen counter and she looked up to meet his gaze “and?” she tried playing it off. 

“well you’ve obviously thought about doing it with me then?” he whispered and smirked. Something about him couldn’t help but flirt with her like this. 

Instead of denying it, she just embraced it. “Yes” she admitted and ran a hand down his bare chest, making him shiver. 

Neil’s breath hitched at the touch, a bit surprised that she didn’t deny it. “Tell me then, what you’ve imagined” he said hopingly.

Claire simply smiled, but she didn’t have time to reply before her phone started buzzing. She looked to see it was Lim who was paging her.   
She sighed “I’m needed at the hospital… I have to go” she said sadly. 

Neil nodded, disappointed, but he knew she had to leave. “Alright, why don’t you text me when you’re done, and I’ll meet you at the bar and buy you that drink I owe you” he asked, hoping she’d accept. 

She smiled “Yeah, I will” she said and quickly kissed his cheek before she headed out and to the hospital.

\--

After a long and hectic shift, she finally had some spare time to relax for a few minutes. That’s when Morgan walked up behind her “so has anything happened yet?” she asked excitingly, wanting to know if she had won the bet or not. 

Claire sighed and smiled softly. It was no use withholding information from Morgan, since she’d eventually find out. “we haven’t slept together, Morgan” Claire said, not bothering to look up from her phone that she was scrolling on. 

Morgan sighed but then noticed the polaroid that was tucked into a fold on the back of Claire’s phone case. She quickly snatched it out and looked at it “What is this?” she gasped excitedly at the picture of them kissing. 

“Morgan!” she tried to pull it back, but it was no use. “It was just staged, his family wanted a picture” she explained. 

Morgan held it up high so she couldn’t take it back “aw, but look at you two! So adorable!” she smiled widely at the picture, and then her eyes widened when she saw Claire’s hickey. 

“You did sleep together!” she stated and looked at Claire in disbelief. 

“No Morgan, we just got a bit drunk last night. And well, he was a bit too drunk to know what he was doing. But I stopped him, I didn’t want to do anything while we were tipsy” Claire explained. 

Morgan sat back and smiled softly, seeming to have realized something. 

“What?” Claire asked at her strange expression

“Claire, I really believed you two just wanted to bone each other, I didn’t realize you love him!” she said with admiration in her voice. 

Claire’s eyes widened “what? No, I..” she started, but then started thinking for a second. Who was she kidding? Of course she loved him. She had for a long time.   
“Of course I do” she admitted and looked down. 

“Aw, Claire. Why didn’t you tell me?” Morgan came over and pulled her in for a big hug. 

Claire smiled and hugged Morgan back, she definitely needed that. “I don’t know, didn’t want to ruin your fun I guess” she laughed. 

Morgan smiled and pulled back, looking at her “well you have to tell him!” she stated. 

“I know” Claire smiled gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate and read all comments, even though I haven't had time to reply to all. But feel free to tell me what you think!


	8. I changed my mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I know a lot of you guys requested updates, and I'm so sorry that it took a while. But uni-work is taking up a lot of my time, but now I've finally gotten around to finish this chapter, so I really hope you like it. I will try to write a few more chapters to this, but it might take a bit for me to update.

Neil sighed after Claire had gone and he was left alone in his giant apartment. It suddenly felt so insanely empty. Normally he didn’t mind being alone, and he enjoyed all the space in his apartment, but now it was so vast, and empty. So empty. He tried his best to wrap his head around why he was feeling so much, so intensely. But he deep down already knew. He needed Claire in his life. And not just as a friend or a co-worker, but he needed her to be his. She was like a drug and he had just gotten addicted. 

He paced back and forth in his apartment all day, constantly checking his phone for any texts from her. He was unable to sit still for more than five minutes at the time. He drafted some sort of speech in his head over and over again for what he was going to say to her. But he didn’t quite find the right words to express what he was feeling. 

\--

After the conversation with Morgan, Claire knew she had to eventually tell him about her feelings, but even though Morgan had assured her that Neil most definitely felt the same for her, she was still afraid of rejection, or that it’d make it weird between them. 

She kept fidgeting with her phone, wanting to text him, but she didn’t know what to write, so she put it back in her pocket. After her shift ended she went to the locker room to change. She sat down on one of the benches and took out the little polaroid picture of them. She smiled softly, and debated what she should do. 

\--

Neil sighed as he saw that her shift had ended over an hour ago. Had she just blew him off? Or had she simply forgot to text him? Neil told himself that something probably had come up so she had to stay a bit late. 

Then he heard a knock on his door and he rushed over to open, hoping it was Claire. He smiled softly when he saw her. “Claire, I thought I was going to meet you at the bar… is everything alright?” he asked, slightly concerned. He stepped aside so she could walk inside, and then closed the door behind her. 

“Well, I changed my mind” Claire said and looked at him, her expression fairly blank. 

Neil instantly though she had changed her mind about them – even though they hadn’t agreed to anything or even talked about it. He figured it was now or never, so he decided to just go for it. 

“Listen Claire, I… this weekend with you. It is the most fun I’ve had in a long time, and I know it was all supposed to be just a game. But it wasn’t to me, it was real. And when you left today, I realized I don’t want that to end, you being here I mean. And I don’t know why I haven’t said it before, because it has always been you, Claire. And I really don’t know what I’d do if you just turn and leave now, because I’ve realized that I don’t want to live a life where I can’t call you mine. I love you, Claire” he was standing in front of her as he talked, but to scared to actually see her face expressions, but as he said the final four words, his eyes met hers, and he could see she was smiling ever so softly.

Claire was taken a back at first, she never in her life thought she would get such a love declaration from Neil Melendez. But his words moved her, and she had to fight to keep the tears back. She also hated him a bit for beating her to it, but she loved it no matter what. 

“You know, what I meant was, I just changed my mind about the drink” she started, a soft grin forming on her lips, her eyes gleaming again. “I seem to remember that you also offered a kiss instead?” she said teasingly and bit her lip softly. 

Neil stood there dumbfounded. Shit, had he just said all that, when all she meant was the drink. God, he wanted to die, oh what was she going to think now? After that little speech of his.. a thousand thoughts rushed through his head. 

Claire laughed when she saw his expression. “God, you’re such an idiot Neil Melendez. Of course I love you too!” she said, a tear now running down her cheek.

His panicked expression finally broke into a smile, and then his lips crashed onto hers. He kissed her passionate and almost desperate, to make up for all the lost time. Claire kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck, soon opening her mouth to him, so their tongues met. He deepened the kiss and pulled her against him, making her moan softly. 

Claire started unbuttoning his shirt, as the kiss got more passionate. Neil pulled away and looked at her, panting softly. “You hungry? I could make us something to eat” he said huskily. 

Claire shook her head and resumed to unbuttoning his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders, revealing his muscled upper body. 

He grinned softly “you sure about this, Claire? Shouldn’t we wait until we’ve gone out for three or four dates?” he asked teasingly. 

Claire gave him an annoyed look “oh shut up, Neil. I want you now” she said and looked at him, her eyes filled with lust and desired. 

He chuckled and smiled. He didn’t need to be asked twice, so he picked her up and kissed her again. He carried her to his bedroom, as they shed the rest of their clothes on the way up. He threw her on his bed and crawled ontop of her, removing her bra and panties, as he kissed almost every inch of her body. “God, you’re beautiful, Claire” he murmured against her skin. 

Claire managed to flip them around so she was ontop, straddling his lap while she pinned his arms above his head. Neil was a bit surprised, but he grinned at the sight before him. She leaned down and kissed his jawline and neck, making sure to leave a few hickeys on him in revenge. She reached down to remove his boxers, smiling at the sight of him, already so ready for her. She grabbed him in her hand, slowly rubbing him, moving her hand up and down. Neil groaned loudly and bit his lip hard. “Claire!” he hissed and looked at her. 

She then smirked at him, leaning down and taking him in her mouth, sucking at the tip, making him moan her name. Shit, he had never realized how good she’d be, but he definitely loved this dominant side of her. As he now had regained control of his hands he quickly flipped them back around, taking one of her breasts in his mouth. Claire pouted a bit at the loss of control, but she also loved that he’d take control of her. He kept teasing her and Claire was soon desperate, “Neil, I need you” she breathed and bit her lip. 

He smirked and pushed her legs apart and in one swift stroke he thrusted into her, making her moan loudly. 

It was safe to say that neither of them slept much that night, they quickly found release, and took turns pleasuring each other, and when they seemingly agreed to try to sleep, they went at it again. But after a while they fell asleep in each others arms, both of them feeling more content than ever. Both of them looking forward until what’s to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think in the comments! :)


	9. A year of melendaire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys, thank you for being patient with me! As you know, I've started a new semester at the university, so that is taking up a lot of my time, but I've finally gotten around to do another chapter. I think it turned out great, so I hope you like it too. I felt it best to do a time jump like this, you might think otherwise, but I hope you like it anyway.

The next few months flew by so fast. Claire and Neil had decided to take their relationship very slow, one step at a time. They were incredibly careful at the hospital, of their co-workers only Morgan and Alex knew about it, and they supported it. It worked out well in the start, but they were still in that ‘hopelessly-in-love-with-each-other – phase’ so sometimes it was hard to keep their hands off each other, even though they at agreed not to.

  * February:



_Claire was always on Neil’s mind. He tried his best to hide that in the hospital. Especially after Audrey had commented how distracted he was. But seeing her in the hallways, it made his heart race so fast. It had almost become a hobby just observing her, how she moved, how she dressed, how she smiled and laughed. And how she looked at him. God, those looks she gave him was almost to much to handle. He sat daydreaming like that when she entered his office._

_“There you are, I thought you finished early today?” she asked as she walked over to him, where he sat in his chair in front of his desk._

_He smiled widely when he saw her “yeah, got caught up in some paperwork that’s all” he explained, he stood up and pulled her closer to him_

_Claire put a hand on his chest to stop him from pulling her all the way in “not here, dr. Melendez” she whispered warningly and stepped back, quickly looking over her shoulder to make sure no one had seen._

_He just grinned at her, he leaned in to whisper in her ear; “If it weren’t for these damned glass walls, I’d have you right here on my desk, /dr. Browne/” he whispered seductively in her ear, quickly pressing his lips to her neck._

_Her breath hitched and she bit her lip hard at his statement, but found the will to step away once again. “I’ll see you later” she chuckled softly and slowly backed out of his office, winking at him before she turned and left._

_He pouted childishly and sighed._

\--

As the time went, they eventually felt ready to share the fact that they were in a relationship, also taking the time to talk to HR, to make sure everything was in order. Claire was hesitant at first, afraid people would think she had fucked her way through residency. But they had after all been working as equal attendings for almost a year before they started dating, so most people didn’t think much of it. As the matter of fact a lot of people were happy for them. Well except for one it seemed. Audrey definitely didn’t take the news all to well.

  * April:



_Audrey walked into Neil’s office one day, clearly not happy. “Why did I have to hear from the nurses that you and Claire apparently are a thing?” she asked and crossed her arms across her chest._

_Neil sighed and sat up “I was going to tell you today, but rumor travels fast around here it seems. But don’t worry, we’ve cleared it with HR” he assured her, thinking it’ll be fine._

_“Neil, what are you thinking?! You’ll ruin both your careers!” Audrey complained._

_“For the matter if fact, I am not her boss anymore, this is a choice we made together. If it would be ruining any of us we might have dated in secret or not even at all. But that is not the case, we chose to be open about it, we’ve talked it over with HR which had no problem with it. Claire got to the place she is today all by herself, and no one thinks otherwise! Except you it seems!” Neil said defensively, now standing up._

_Audrey shook her head annoyed “this is never going to work out, Neil. You two are on two completely different stages in life. She is still young, and have her whole career in front of her” Audrey argued_

_“and you think I will be in the way of that?!” he asked and raising his voice, genuinely offended. Where was all this coming from, was she jealous? He didn’t know “you’re just saying that because you and I didn’t work out!” he added_

_“Oh come on, Neil. I am not jealous. Get over yourself!” Audrey barked_

_“Well then what is your problem?” he asked “you know what, never mind. I’m done arguing!” he said before he left, slamming the door._

_He was definitely grumpy when he came home that night, but he didn’t tell Claire about it, not wanting her to know that their boss didn’t approve of them._

_\--_

Audrey had in fact apologized a month or so later. She definitely wasn’t a fan of their relationship, but she finally accepted it. It made it easier for Neil and Claire, knowing that they didn’t have to try so hard to avoid her anymore. They weren’t really on speaking terms, but they had mutual respect for each other, so at least they worked well together when working, without ending up in a big fight.

And while it got easier being a couple in the work place, some of the tension also disappeared when they were outside the hospital. They really felt they could ease up and finally be themselves, and that made them want to take things a bit further. At least Neil wanted to.

  * June:



_“Is this for me?” Claire asked as she saw a small present with a bow on it, placed neatly on her pillow._

_Neil who was sitting on his side of the bed nodded. “open it” he smiled._

_Claire sat down beside him, carefully removing the lid from the box, revealing a house key inside._

_“I know you mostly stay here anyways, but I wanted to officially ask, if you want to move in with me?” he said and smiled softly. “And well, I originally wanted to look for a place together, perhaps a bigger apartment, or even a house. But I don’t want to overwhelm you, we’ll take it one step at a time” he added and looked at her for a reaction._

_Claire was silent for a few moments, but soon smiled and hugged him tightly “yes, of course” she said and kissed his cheek._

_Although – when he eventually fell asleep, she couldn’t possibly fall asleep herself. Her mind was spinning. In fact she was terrified. He said he didn’t want to overwhelm her, but that is exactly what he did. It felt safe to have her own apartment, it was like a safety net if something should go wrong, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to give up that. But she didn’t want to disappoint Neil either._

Neil had after a while sensed that Claire had something on her mind, and she eventually opened up to him. He supported her in every way he could, and had assured her that they didn’t have to rush anything. Although when the summer months finally came, she felt ready. So he had helped her sell her old apartment and she had moved in with him. And at first she had cold feet about it, but soon she realized how right it was, and those summer months with him had been some of the best months of their relationship.

  * August:



_Neil walked down the hallway and noticed that Claire was carrying a toddler around the hospital. The little girl was placed on her hips, tugging at Claire’s curls, when he walked up._

_“Is there something you haven’t told me, Claire?” he asked teasingly and referred to the small girl._

_Claire turned around in surprise and smiled “oh, no” she laughed “this little rebel decided to wander off while her mom’s in surgery. Had to chase her around the whole hospital” she smiled, panting softly. She had obviously just caught up with the little girl._

_Neil laughed. “alright then. It suits you though” he said, just before he was paged and had to go elsewhere._

_Claire was a bit uncertain what he had meant by that, but didn’t get the chance to ask before he left._

_Seeing her with that girl had reminded Neil how much he wanted to be a father. He thought he had ruined his chances at that after both his previous relationships had gone south. But after being with Claire he had secretly started getting his hopes up again. But he hadn’t dared mention it to Claire, not even a subtle question. Because he knew very well sensitive that subject was to her. She had once told him she was terrified of becoming like her own mother, wishing that on no child, she had concluded it best if she didn’t have any. That was before they started dating though, so he secretly wondered if she’d ever change her mind._

_When Claire got home that evening, she had asked him what he had meant by ‘it suited her’, and thus began their first big fight._

_Neil had definitely approached it wrong, he had said something about himself running out of time, wanting to be a father before he was too old, and then it all had just escalated. He knew he had made a big mistake after saying it, but it had been a long day, so he had just blurted it out._

_Claire at once felt too pressured, like he trapped her up in a corner so she started arguing. Perhaps it would be better to explain it calmly, but she had also had a long day. The argument quicky heated and they were shouting at each other. Claire also threw a vase after him at one point, hitting the wall beside him. Mostly to try to make him shut up, but it only made him angrier._

_The night had ended in tears and Claire had left, slamming the door, and going to Morgan’s. She had stayed there for a whole week. Not answering any of his calls, or even looking at him when they were at the hospital._

It had been a few very long, hard weeks for the both of them. Claire had eventually returned home, but she was sleeping on the couch. But it was hard to stay mad at each other for too long. So very slowly they started talking again, very soon the bantering and teasing started as well. And they finally sat down one night and apologized to each other. Claire calmly explained why she wasn’t quite ready for children yet, but that she was still open to getting kids in the future. Neil had also explained his dreams of being a dad, but also that he would never push her into something she wasn’t ready to do.

  * October:



_“Neil, where are you? Got a surprise for you” Claire called from the hallway._

_“In the living room” he called back. Looking up from the book he was reading. Claire walked inside, a small furry, four legged creature followed behind her._

_She was smiling widely “I know I said I wasn’t ready for children quite yet. So I thought I’d compromise with you…” she started and chuckled. “And please don’t be mad for not asking you first!” she said and gently picked up the small husky puppy and placed him on his lap. “This is Loki” Claire smiled widely and sat down beside him._

_Neil stared at her and then the puppy in his lap “No, you didn’t! Claire!” he exclaimed, trying to be a little mad, but he completely melted at the puppy’s eyes and soft fur._

_Claire giggled “Oh look, he likes you already!” she pointed out as the puppy licked his hand._

_Neil smiled softly “he’s really ours?” he asked and looked at Claire_

_She nodded_

_Neil grinned and kissed her softly. “He’s adorable!” he said and nuzzled the puppy into a soft embrace. “But Loki? Really. Did you name him that?”_

_Claire smiled widely “no, no he was already named when I got him” she lied._

_“Oh come on, I know how much you love Marvel, Claire”_

_She threw her hands up “alright, alright, I named him Loki” she laughed._

_\--_

The autumn months were truly a lot of fun, but also frustrating. Life with a puppy wasn’t easy, but as time went by the stronger bond they formed and they were happier than ever.

  * December:



_Neil had pulled out the ring box from where he had hidden it after Claire had moved in. Claire was always very neat when she cleaned around the house, so he had made sure to put it somewhere she would never find – among the groceries, since she never cooked and all. He had been thinking about proposing to her for a long time, but was once again afraid to overwhelm her, scare her away, or ruining everything. But these last few months he really felt that their relationship was stable and secure, so he began carrying the ring in his pocket, waiting for the perfect moment to propose._

_He had first thought about planning a romantic date with a lot of roses and champagne, but first of all, Claire hated big romantic gestures. Second of all, it was too obvious, Claire would see it coming from a mile away. And third of all, if he planned it, something would most definitely go wrong, like one of them would be paged. So he decided he had to do it spontaneously, not really sure which day, but at least before the year ended._

_One night after a long and hard shift, he saw her out on the balcony outside his office. He walked out and greeted her._

_She smiled at him, told him about her day and was now admiring the starry night sky. She always came out here to catch her breath, recharge, or just take a break._

_Neil hadn’t initially planned to propose right now, but as he watched her as she was looking up at the starry sky – what better time than now?_

_And as Claire turned back around to look at him, she found Neil down on one knee, holding the most beautiful ring out. She almost gasped and backed away a step._

_“Claire –“ he started, smiling “My nana gave me this ring after our little scheme earlier this year. She had seen through it all, but she wasn’t mad, not at all. She gave me this ring, because she knew that I loved you… that we loved each other. And she wanted me to give this to you when we were ready. And I am so thankful for that, because she opened my eyes, making me realize that the love of my life had been under my nose this whole time. And believe me when I say, ever since I laid my eyes on you, I have loved you. It took me a good while to realize, and even longer to admit. But I really do love you Claire. So much. And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I hope you do too” He said passionately, a tear escaping from the corner of his eye._

_“So. Will you marry me, Claire Browne?” he asked finally._

_A few tears rolled down Claire’s cheeks as he listened to him speak. She was smiling widely. Never had she imagined anyone would ever propose to her, not even Neil. But here they were and there was only one word, ringing in Claire’s head and heart and soul;_

_“YES!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I first intended this be the last chapter, but I actually have a few ideas for another chapter or two, so let me know if you want me to continue on this.  
> Also, thank you so much for reading, appreciate all yout feedback! <3


	10. An unexpected event

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, thank you so much for being patient with me. I finally wrote the last chapter to this story, even though it is not the best, I hope you enjoy it!   
> Also, it's a bit inspired by a scene from the Rookie.

The months flew by and life as an engaged couple was more than Claire had ever dreamed of. When they first had told everyone, they had been so thrilled. Morgan especially, and of course made the claim to be maid of honor. Even Audrey had finally come to terms with that their relationship was dead serious, and she was in fact happy for them.

They had not agreed on a specific date for the wedding yet. Planning would definitely take some time and right now the amount of work at the hospital was crazy. But neither of them were in a rush, they figured they would set a date when they felt the time was right, even if that would be three months from now, or five years.

\--

It was a crazy day at St. Bonaventure. It had been a huge accident on the freeway so multiple patients were rolling in. The injuries ranging from a concussion, to large internal bleedings and bones sticking out of skin. And on top of that they were also in a heat wave, the heat was almost unbearable. Claire was originally taking a sick day since she had been feeling under the weather lately, or more correctly, Neil had refused her from coming in. But when dr. Lim called her to ask for more hands, she came right away.

\--

Morgan and Claire was running around taking care of all the patients.

“Hey, dr. Browne, could you hand me one of those syringes?” Morgan asked and pointed to the shelf next to Claire.

“dr. Browne!” Morgan said again when she didn’t reply. But then noticed how unearthly pale Claire was. “Claire?” she asked in a much softer voice “are you alright, you seem-“

But before Morgan got to finish her question, Claire collapsed on the floor, knocking down the tray beside her, causing quite the scene.

“Claire!” Morgan exclaimed and rushed over. “I need some help over here! NOW!” Morgan shouted and nurses rushed over with a stretcher.

Claire was quickly admitted, and rolled into her own room. Morgan paged both dr. Lim and dr. Melendez, but only Audrey arrived, shocked to find Claire in the hospital bed. She was still unconscious and they ran every possible test they had on her.

After a while her vitals stabled, Morgan sat with her, watching over her while she slept. She didn’t want her to be alone when she woke up. Finally her test results came back, and they all were negative – well except one.

Morgan paged Melendez again but he didn’t respond. “Where the hell is he?” she asked annoyed. She picked up her phone and dialed his number.

\--

Morgan had been bugging him all day, and he was fully prepared to yell at her when she called once again. He picked up. “dr. Reznik, I specifically told you not to disturb me today, I am in the middle of an important surgery!” he said annoyed.

“You better get your arrogant ass down here, Melendez. Your fiancé has been admitted to the hospital.” Morgan hissed back.

His heart sank, panic slowly rising “what? She’s not supposed to be here” he said in desperation.

“She’s fine. But I suggest you get a move on.” Morgan replied before she hung up the phone.

Neil quickly found someone to scrub in and take over his surgery. He was almost finished, but trusted the other doctor enough to close up for him. He basically ran down stairs, where he met Audrey standing outside of Claire’s room.

“Where is she? Let me see her!” He said trying to push past Audrey.

She blocked the way, putting a hand on his chest. “Slow down, Neil. She is alright, don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. She just fainted while working on some of the patients here”

He looked at her. “What? But she’s not supposed to be at work today. What was she doing here?”

Audrey sighed, feeling bad. “I’m sorry, Neil. I called her in because we needed extra hands with this load of patients. I wouldn’t have done that had I known she was pregnant.” Audrey explained.

Neil’s eyes widened. “wh- she’s what?” he stuttered, not sure if he heard correctly.

Audrey soon realized her mistake. “Oh god, I am so sorry. I thought you knew. She’s already 15 weeks along.” Audrey explained, but understood that neither of them had realized yet, since Claire wasn’t showing at all.

Neil ran both his hands through his hair, he couldn’t believe all of this was happening. “B- but she’s alright? And.. and the baby?” he asked, his heart racing.

Audrey smiled “yes, they both are ok. Claire’s body is just under a lot of stress with the pregnancy, and it was obviously a mistake to bring her in. I’m sorry. But they are fine. I promise. She just needs a lot of rest.” She smiled softly.

“She will be waking up any moment, so you should go be with her. You should be the one to tell her.” She said and finally stepped aside so he could go inside.

“Oh and Neil?” she added

He turned and looked at her “congratulations” she smiled.

\--

When Claire finally woke up, she looked around, slightly confused. But soon her eyes landed on the ones she loved so much. “Hey” she whispered.

He jolted at the sound of her voice and moved from the chair to sit on the side of her bed. “Hey, beautiful” he smiled softly.

“What happened?” she asked and groaned softly as she tried to sit up.

He bit his lip hard. “Well you fainted… because..you’re pregnant, Claire” he said and smiled gently, trying to hide his excitement, because he knew she was a bit overwhelmed.

Claire went utterly silent. Her mind was racing, she had been feeling under the weather lately, feeling sick, having headaches. But she had never seen that connection, and she was on birth control, but she sometimes forgot a few days…so it could be why. She looked back at Neil, who was clearly waiting for a response.

Her hand softly slid down to feel her stomach “I.. we… “ she started, but couldn’t quite find the words.

He placed his hand on top of hers “I know, it’s not what you wanted just yet, but.. I am so thrilled Claire. I am so happy, and I hope you are too.” He said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

A few tears rolled down her cheeks. “I wanted to romance before the responsibilities, the wedding and the honeymoon first.. I wanted to travel the world with you… I” she said, crying even more.

“I know honey, I wanted that too. But it doesn’t mean we can’t have that as well.”

“it won’t be the same..” she sighed.

“No…but here’s what will be the same; you will still look beautiful in your dress, and I will cry when I see you walk down the aisle, and you will probably make fun of me for it for the rest of our lives…” he said

Claire let out a soft laugh and smiled through her tears.

“I know it isn’t the path we thought we were on yesterday, but we are on this path together, Claire” Neil smiled

“You say that, but when the hormones kick in, you’re in for a rough ride” Claire teased.

“Bring it on” he challenged and smiled

She smiled “I’m sorry, I just panicked a little…” she sighed softly, feeling calmer now after talking a bit. “I want this, believe me, even if it’s not how we imagined, I’m just scared.” She explained and looked down at her belly.

Neil grinned, and placed a kiss on her belly and then on her lips, “I love you so much” he whispered.

“I love you too” she replied.

\--

_Approximately six months later:_

Claire was in the hospital working, when her water broke. The nurses quickly helped her into a room, calling in the midwives.

“Where is Neil?” Claire asked, groaning in pain, at her contractions.

“I’ve paged him multiple times, don’t worry” one of the nurses assured her

“Well try again, and please do tell him he is a dead man, if he doesn’t get his ass down here, right this second!” Claire shouted.

The nurse nodded, and personally ran upstairs, to interrupt yet another surgery.

He was down there withing the next five minutes, rushing over to Claire’s side, grabbing her hand.

“Took you long enough!” she said annoyed, squeezing his hand.

“I’m sorry, honey. I’m here now alright, you’re doing great!” he assured her.

Claire pushed again when the doctors told her too, “God, I hate you Melendez!! Why did you do this to me?!” She said in pain.

He had to fight to not laugh, but she only squeezed his hand harder, making him bite his lip hard.

\--

A while later, Claire was completely exhausted, but also overjoyed at the sight of her daughter resting in Neil’s embrace. Josephine Browne-Melendez.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked this story, and so sorry for the late update. I do have some ideas for a new fanfic that I might write, so I hope you guys stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I appreciate comments and feedback!


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